SEN. KUSHNER JOINS 32BJ SEIU & UNITED HERE TO SUPPORT PROPOSED WORKER RETENTION LAW

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury), 32BJ SEIU and United Here! today threw their support behind a proposed bill that would protect workers’ jobs for 90 days after a change in contractors at a worksite and require business owners to provide sufficient notice in advance of such job changes.

Under current Connecticut law, workers employed by building-service contractors have no legal right to keep their jobs if the contractor changes or if the building is sold and the new employer decides to replace the entire workforce.

A bill that received its public hearing today before the Labor & Public Employees Committee – Senate Bill 358, “AN ACT CONCERNING THE RETENTION OF SERVICE CONTRACT WORKERS” – seeks to rectify this by requiring incoming building service contractors to retain the existing workforce for 90 days, and to give employees a 15-day notice of a switch in their employer, ensuring they have sufficient time to prepare for a life-changing job loss.

Such worker retention laws historically protect low-wage, subcontracted jobs, including janitors, security guards, healthcare facility housekeepers, airport workers, and food preparation workers in education and healthcare facilities.

“This is a really important piece of legislation, and I think sometimes we lose track of the human beings that are impacted, and how much of a difference we’ll make in their lives if we pass this legislation into law,” said Sen. Kushner, who fought in Danbury last summer when 14 longtime employees of a local company were suddenly let go when they lost their building cleaning contract to another company. “They shouldn’t have had to go through that. And the problem for our community is, we can’t have people who have worked at a company for 20 years all of a sudden have no income, have no health benefits, and no job. retentionI’m really excited about this  legislation, and I think it can make a difference, not just for the workers involved, but for our communities that suffer losses along with our neighbors.”

“Many of the grievances that come our way are from workers who’ve been displaced because a building has replaced a responsible contractor with an irresponsible one. With this law, we’re saying loud and clear: no more.” said Rochelle Palache, Vice President and Connecticut District Leader, 32BJ SEIU. “This common-sense law will ensure accountability and transparency and protect workers from abrupt and unjust losses in their pay, insurance, or other benefits.”

The Labor and Public Employees Committee has until March 24 to pass bills; the General Assembly adjourns for the year on May 4.